The Problem With Fish Oil: How Rancid & Overprescribed Omega-3s Impact Your Health
Key Points:
- Fish oil is an incredibly powerful resource that’s full of omega-3 fatty acids — a nutrient you can only get through diet or supplementation. However, most fish oil supplements on the market today don’t allow us to glean their natural benefits. According to a recent 2023 study, at least 45% of marketed fish oil is rancid, which can have adverse effects on the body.
- We formulated an extremely pure, whole-food derived fish oil that’s cold-pressed and contains additional SPMs for improved inflammatory response. It crosses the blood-brain barrier, delivering essential nutrients straight to your brain cells.
- For optimal cellular function, we do actually need more omega-6s than omega-3s (the 4:1 ratio is ideal). We recommend taking our new fish oil supplement alongside BodyBio Balance Oil – this combination can help ensure your body is getting all the right fats in the right amount, just as nature intended.
What could be so bad about fish oil?
By now, most of us have heard about all the incredible benefits of fish oil. It’s one of the most commonly recommended supplements — said to reduce inflammation, manage arthritis pain, and even promote better mental health.
But there’s something fishy here — the studies praising the benefits of fish oil don’t tell the whole story.
In fact, recent research leads us to believe that many grocery store fish oil supplements are rancid and don’t contain the helpful benefits they claim to. Let’s explore the problem with mainstream fish oil and examine what we can do about it.
Table of Contents:
- The Problem with Mainstream Fish Oil Supplements
- Many Fish Oil Supplements are Rancid
- Fish Oil is Overprescribed
- The Ideal Fish Oil Supplement
- BodyBio Fish Oil+
The Problem with Mainstream Fish Oil Supplements
In theory, fish oil should be good for you. After all, it comes from a whole food (fish) that’s high in omega-3 fatty acids. In practice, however, most fish oil supplements are doing more harm to our bodies than good. It all comes down to processing methods and the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.
Many Fish Oil Supplements are Rancid
Recent studies found that more than 45% of fish oil supplements are rancid by the time they reach store shelves. In order to disguise the problem, fish oil supplements are flavored to mask their fishy smell and poor quality (which only makes the toxicity worse).
This is particularly concerning because rancid fish oil can increase oxidative stress — ultimately doing the opposite of what a fish oil supplement is supposed to do. It puts extra stress on the cells, increases the inflammatory response, and is even connected to neurodegenerative diseases.
Fish Oil is Overprescribed
The omega-3 content in most fish oils is much higher than what your body actually needs. (And many practitioners are recommending two, three, or five times a “standard” dose!) This is a problem because omega-3 and omega-6 fats compete for the same enzyme. Excess omega-3 in the body can significantly deplete omega-6 levels. So while many people are concerned that their omega-6 intake is too high, it’s just as easy to overdo it on the omega-3s and end up with the same problem in the opposite direction.
For optimal cellular function, we do actually need more omega-6s than omega-3s (the 4:1 ratio is ideal). An imbalance of these essential fatty acids — in either direction — can be devastating for our cells and cause long-term problems.
The Benefits of Fish Oil Supplementation
Omega-3 fatty acids can’t be made in the body, so they need to come from a dietary or supplemental source. When sourcing the right product (and maintaining a 4:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio), fish oil supplements can deliver powerful effects to the cell.
Here are some benefits of fish oil supplementation:
- Better mental health*
- Younger looking skin*
- Improved cardiovascular health*
- Less brain fog*
- Better joint health*
- Improved inflammatory response*
- May support healthy blood pressure levels*
- Eye health*
Fish oil supplements can fit within a healthy lifestyle — but they should be carefully evaluated for quality and purity, as well as taken in moderate amounts to help preserve the delicate 4:1 ratio.
The Ideal Fish Oil Supplement
We’ve spent months perfecting a new fish oil supplement that exceeds expectations for quality and purity standards. Introducing BodyBio Fish Oil+ — the most innovative and science-forward fish oil supplement on the market.
In its natural form, fish oil is a powerful resource for our health. Unfortunately, most fish oil supplements undergo heavy processing methods that have stripped or compromised the nutrients in fish oil — ultimately promoting cellular inflammation instead of health.
We’re here to change that. Fish Oil+ is everything fish oil should be.
Cold-Pressed Extraction
High-temperature processing can cause fish oil to go rancid almost immediately, plus it removes many of the intended nutrients and benefits. By cold-pressing our fish oil, we ensure omega-3 fatty acids remain intact while avoiding all chemical processing methods. It’s pure, unaltered fish oil delivered straight to your cells.
Enhanced with Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators (SPMs)
Specialized pro-resolving mediators (or SPMs) are lipid mediators found in some unaltered forms of seafood (like caviar). They’re particularly helpful in regulating the inflammatory response but can also play a role in immune system health and scavenging free radicals from the cell. We use herring roe caviar to infuse Fish Oil+ with whole-food SPMs.
High Ratio of DHA to EPA to Support Brain Health
Two long-chain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Our fish oil naturally delivers a 3:1 ratio of DHA to EPA to deeply nourish the brain, fight against neurodegenerative diseases, and do everything fish oil is supposed to do.
Phospholipid Delivery Straight to Your Cells
Fish Oil+ is infused with phospholipids for the ultimate cellular delivery system. Phospholipid liposomes allow the omega-3s and SPMs to cross the blood-brain barrier and cell membrane — for optimal absorption and delivery where you need it most.
Crosses the Blood-Brain Barrier
Fish Oil+ can readily cross the blood-brain barrier. Those who are taking omega-3 fatty acids for brain health benefits can feel confident knowing the ingredients are directly nourishing their brain cells and not getting broken down in the digestive tract.
Boost Omega-3 Levels
Fish Oil+ supplies the body with EPA and DHA, thereby helping to restore levels of essential omega-3 fatty acids. Our fish oil is designed to deliver a healing boost along with SPMs to help quench inflammation and support cellular health.
Recall, however, that we want to stabilize omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid levels, allowing a natural balance between the two. We recommend taking Fish Oil+ alongside BodyBio Balance Oil – this combination can help ensure your body is getting all the right fats in the right amount, just as nature intended.
Supports a Healthy Inflammatory Response*
One of the most powerful benefits of pure, cold-pressed fish oil is its ability to support a healthy inflammatory response.* Fish oil is most commonly prescribed for issues like arthritis, cognitive support, immune system wellness, and even eye health. Many of these issues ultimately boil down to too much inflammation in the body.
Fish Oil+ works to support the brain, adrenal glands, retinas and synapses.*
Fish Oil+: The Way It Was Meant to Be
We created the market’s purest fish oil supplement because we understand the science. We know just how powerful fish oil can be for the human body — especially for people fighting a chronic illness, neurodegenerative disease, or chronic inflammation.
But despite the amazing potential of fish oil, the actual results of mainstream supplements are abysmal at best. Highly processed oils and an overload of omega-3 fatty acids turn this powerful resource into just another toxic substance the body has to deal with.
We’d say we’re here to flip fish oil on its head. Or maybe, we’re just reviving what fish oil should be.
References
Basil, M. C., & Levy, B. D. (2016). Specialized pro-resolving mediators: endogenous regulators of infection and inflammation. Nature reviews. Immunology, 16(1), 51–67. https://doi.org/10.1038/nri.2015.4
Pizzino, G., Irrera, N., Cucinotta, M., Pallio, G., Mannino, F., Arcoraci, V., Squadrito, F., Altavilla, D., & Bitto, A. (2017). Oxidative Stress: Harms and Benefits for Human Health. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2017, 8416763. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/8416763
Cameron-Smith, D., Albert, B. B., & Cutfield, W. S. (2015). Fishing for answers: is oxidation of fish oil supplements a problem?. Journal of nutritional science, 4, e36. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2015.26
Hands, J. M., Anderson, M. L., Cooperman, T., & Frame, L. A. (2024). A multi-year rancidity analysis of 72 marine and microalgal oil omega-3 supplements. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 21(2), 195-206. https://doi.org/10.1080/19390211.2023.2252064